Held Captive By Love Read online

  Except every cell in Fernando's body had just been lit by a raging fire that he'd never even known existed.

  Chapter 5

  Three days had gone by, and the sex noises from above had completely ceased. Their absence made Jenna less happy than she would have suspected, though. Now that she had met Mr. Mysterious Hot Guy From Above, she had the suspicion that the moaning noises had been coming from his apartment.

  The guy could probably make a girl have an orgasm just by kissing her. There was no way he had trouble getting action.

  As hot as he was, though, his attractiveness also made the situation difficult. Obviously, he had a woman in his life, and they were screwing like rabbits every night. As to why they had suddenly stopped... Maybe his girlfriend was out of town, or maybe they had to take a break before they got too sore to even function.

  One thing was known, though: Jenna knew she was thinking about the topic way too much. She was starting to become that creepy neighbor- the one who was always peeking at you from behind their cracked front door, or taking note of who was coming in and out of your apartment and when.

  That's why she'd decided to incorporate some extra-curricular activities in her life. She needed some distractions so that she could stop obsessing. And so, literally an hour after she'd had the run-in with the God-like man, she'd hopped on the train and registered for dance classes at one of the studios in mid-town.

  On Tuesday, after her second hip-hop class, she returned to the apartment building feeling sweaty and fatigued- but good. Physical activity was so far proving to be an excellent outlet. Maybe she could try Speed Dating next.

  She cringed as she thumped up the stairs. Or maybe not.

  When she opened the door, she took one step inside, and her foot landed on a small, white envelope.

  Weird. The mailboxes were all downstairs. Why hadn't the mailman just put the envelope in her box?

  Bending to pick it up, she saw that the name on it was handwritten. Except it wasn't her name on the paper.

  Fernando Gomez, 144 West 126th Street. Apartment 6.

  Well, they'd gotten the apartment number right, anyway, but there was no Fernando in the tiny little studio- at least there wasn't anymore. Maybe he had lived there before Jeff- the actor who permanently rented the apartment- had moved in.

  Flipping the envelope over, Jenna saw that the back hadn't been closed properly. Only the middle part of the seal was sticking. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed by the temptation to open it.

  No, She quickly told herself. That's wrong.

  The scent of floral perfume coming from the envelope wasn't helping her resist her temptation to any degree. Was it a love letter? Certainly she shouldn't open it.

  Depraved as Jenna had been of romance over the last year, though, the urge to read the words written in the letter was unbearable. She wanted to swoon; to sigh in pleasure.

  Maybe she could carefully open the envelope, and then re-stick it, making it look like it had never been opened in the first place.

  And then she'd email Jeff and see if he knew where this Fernando was, and if he could get the letter to him.

  Slowly, delicately, Jenna slid her finger underneath the flap. “Yesss,” She grinned to herself when the envelope slid open like butter. Maybe Jenna should consider a new career as a sleuth.

  Carefully, she unfolded the letter. A check fluttered to the floor. Jenna bent to pick it up, her heart pounding. Now she felt bad. It was too late now, though, and so - guilt still coursing through her - she peeked at the check.

  It was written for two thousand dollars, and on the line at the bottom, it said 'For a good time.'

  As for the letter itself, it was incredibly brief.

  Fernando,

  It was a pleasure, as always. Here is your rate, plus a little bonus. Email me to set up next time. Maybe we can try out the ropes.

  -K

  Jenna blinked hard, trying to come up with explanations as to what the letter meant. It was so obvious; this Fernando was a prostitute. And he'd been running his business in the same apartment Jenna was now living in!

  Had he been using the bed she was now sleeping on?

  “Ew,” She whispered out loud.

  Another moment later, though, and her brain finally did it- it connected one and one... and one. The check. The noises from above. The sexy as hell man who lived on the next floor. The letter and the check both fell from her hands.

  The guy who she'd run into by the elevator was a prostitute! Or something like that.

  And that was why she'd been hearing moaning noises almost every night!

  If that was the case, she had to say something to him about it. Maybe ask him to please request that his clients try and keep it down. Or something like that. She didn't know what else to do, because- honestly- now that she had met the man who was causing the toe-curling noises from above, her sexual appetite was shooting through the roof.

  And Jenna couldn't live that way. She was turning into a sexual deviant. The whole issue was going to take over her life if it wasn't gotten under control. She had her career to focus on. Videos to make. Articles to write. The world of beauty to conquer.

  She was going to put a stop to this once and for all.

  Chapter 6

  Fernando closed the dishwasher and pressed the start button before going to the counter to make sure he had gotten the whole area wiped down. He wasn't a perfectionist when it came to a whole lot of things, but cleanliness was an exception. He kept his kitchen sparkling clean- not that very many people saw it- and the rest of the apartment was the same. His living room. The bathroom. His bedroom. The second bedroom that he used for entertaining his clientele.

  His clients were usually in and out. They walked through the living room and into the bedroom, and then exited the same way. No small talk. No tour of the apartment. He certainly never invited them into the kitchen to sear them a filet of mahi-mahi.

  As he was drying his hands on a towel, a knock sounded at the door. Fernando froze. People didn't usually stop by. He was very clear with all of his clients when it came to the rules around dropping by. Simply put: don't do it. As far as friends, he had a few friends from the office, but none of them had ever randomly dropped by either. In New York people met up at bars or clubs. They didn't hang out in each other’s apartments.

  Curiosity was gripping him; he moved across the apartment and opened the door.

  And his heart immediately sped up as his cock stood to attention. It was her. The beautiful girl from the foyer. Ever since their brief interaction he'd been wondering where she lived in the building. He'd been doing more than wondering. He'd been thinking about her non-stop. The thoughts had been so distracting that he'd canceled the rest of his appointments for the week. From the moment he'd set eyes on the girl he had felt scattered; excited; confused. It had been impossible to focus on almost anything.

  And he hadn't liked it. Not being able to control his thoughts and emotions? That wasn't the Fernando Gomez he knew himself to be.

  She blinked her blue-green eyes at him and shifted her weight. God, she was luscious. She was slightly slender, but not too thin. She had just the right amount of weight on her. Her soft hips were confirmation of that. And her breasts... He bit back a groan and tried not to stare at them. She had the kind of cleavage you could just bury your face in and hope never to re-emerge from.

  He'd never had a client like her, but damn how he wished he had.

  “I got your mail,” She said, the words coming out rough. She sounded annoyed, and it was adorable.

  “All right,” He answered, deliberately not offering more. He wanted to drag the conversation out for as long as possible.

  Brusquely, she held out an envelope. When he took it from her, he saw that it had already been opened.

  “Do you think you can keep it down?” She asked. “I work from home, and it's getting hard to concentrate with all the, uh... sounds coming from up here.”

  She flushed, but squar
ed her shoulders and stared him down.

  Fernando tried not to smile. What could he say? He couldn't help it if some of his clients were as loud as they were. He'd done his best to soundproof the room, but sometimes even the thickest of walls did no good.

  He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. “So you must know that I work from home too.”

  She didn't answer. She just bit her lip as her cheeks turned even pinker.

  “It's a side job,” He answered. “To help cushion my day job.”

  “What's your day job?”

  “I'm a lawyer.”

  She barked out a laugh, and he smiled. Good. She could appreciate his sense of humor.

  “I find it hard to believe that you need a part-time job, working as a lawyer,” She said. “Or as a...” She faltered, and looked down at the ground.

  “A Dom.”

  Her eyes flicked back up to his, and his heart raced like it had been given a shot of adrenaline.

  “Like a prostitute?” She asked.

  “No,” He answered quickly. He never had intercourse with his clients- ever. All he did was the things to them that no other man would do. He played the games no one else would. He held them in bondage like no one else would. And he was the best at it.

  “I fulfill women's fantasies.”

  The girl's mouth fell open. Fernando smiled. God, this was fun.

  “What do you think of that?” He asked.

  She bit her pink and full lip. “It's fine as long as you keep it down.”

  He fingered the opened envelope. Geez, she was pushy. He liked it, but it also kind of annoyed him at the same time. Maybe he should push back.

  “I can book you an appointment if you like. Free of charge. We can call it a neighbor discount.”

  Her cheeks were now red. “Don't play games with me.”

  “I'm not.” And he wasn't. The desire to touch this woman was so bad that he felt like he was going to explode if he didn't get the chance to have at least one hour with her.

  “I'm not that kind of girl.”

  “No, but you're the kind to open other people's mail. Tell me, what's that about?”

  She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Checkmate. He had her there.

  “I was concerned...”

  “About what?”

  “Someone slipped it right under my door, so I thought maybe it was urgent.”

  She was lying, and the action- like everything else she did- was simultaneously heartwarming and heat inducing.

  “I'll tell you what,” He said. “Let's make a deal.”

  “What kind of deal?”

  “You let me give you a test session, and I won't sue you for going through my mail.”

  Her eyes bulged.

  “It's a federal offense, you know,” Fernando continued.

  “I- I didn't know,” She stuttered.

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  Anger flashed in her eyes, and he saw the pertinent part of her that he'd already suspected she had.

  “How about,” He said slowly, “We do this. You just try it out. At any point, if you want me to stop, I'll stop. I promise.”

  She gazed at him, her pupils dilating like they had when they'd first met. She wanted him. He could tell. Maybe as much as he wanted her.

  He held his breath, silently begging for the right answer.

  Finally, it came.

  “All right.”

  Chapter 7

  He stepped back into the apartment, making way for Jenna to move inside. Slowly, she took a step. Then another. She couldn't believe what she was doing. Had she said yes?

  Good old Jenna Smith from Wharton, Iowa. The homecoming queen senior year. The girl who'd never missed a Sunday at church. Where was she now?

  Oh, yeah- that's right. Walking into the apartment of a stranger who was about to... To what? Tie her up? Beat her with a whip?

  Wasn't that was dominatrix’s did?

  Was he even called a dominatrix, since he was male?

  Jenna's head spun, and she focused on breathing in and out. She was scared. He'd just threatened to sue her, after all. And now who knew what kind of kinkiness she was getting herself into.

  She was excited too, though. She knew that from the throbbing that had already started between her legs. It had been so long since a man had touched her in any way other than laying a hand on her arm.

  Her eyes darted around the living room. It was chic and simple, with a dark blue couch, a patterned rug, a couple of abstract paintings and what looked like to be hundreds of books sitting on the shelves that lined the walls. It was also impeccably tidy. If she walked into the place without knowing anything about its occupants, she certainly wouldn't have guessed that a man of this guy's age lived here.

  Not that she knew how old he was for sure, but he didn't look a day past thirty.

  “I'm Fernando,” His voice came, wafting over her like a cloud of warm mist. He walked across the living room and disappeared into the kitchen. “Have a seat,” He called. “Would you like a drink?”

  Jenna cleared her throat, which felt like it had been coated with sawdust. “Yes, please. I'll take whatever.”

  Tentatively, she lowered herself onto the couch. It was so nice in the apartment that she was having trouble believing that her own dinky little studio was just a floor below. Sure, she'd loved the place when she'd first moved in, but now after getting a look at Fernando's apartment she was getting a little jealous.

  He entered the living room, a glass of white wine in each hand. The sleeves of his blue button-up were rolled up and for the first time, she noticed how thick his wrists were. She swallowed. Hard. How could just a man's wrists be making her so turned on?

  He sat down on the other end of the couch, the weight of it shifting towards him. Delicately, he placed the two glasses on coasters that were on the clear top coffee table.

  Jenna cleared her throat again. “Thank you,” She whispered.

  “I never got your name.”

  “Oh. It's Jenna Smith.”

  “When did you move in?”

  Why all the small talk? Why not just get this thing done? She wanted to ask but bit her tongue. If he was stalling, that was perfectly all right with her.

  “Just this month. I'm subleasing just for part of the year.”

  He leaned against the corner of the couch and stared at her, his hands folded in his lap. Jenna's heart sped up. Jesus, the man... He thrilled her and terrified her at the same time. He seemed so perfectly normal, but how could he be, what with the things that went on in his apartment late at night?

  “What do you do?”

  “I'm a beauty blogger.”

  His eyebrows shot up, and she expected some snide comment about how disheveled she'd looked when they'd first run into each other.

  “That's amazing,” He said instead.

  Jenna blinked hard. Usually people thought it was 'interesting' at the most. A few had laughed outright, their attitudes suggesting that they didn't think she was adding anything of necessary value to the world by doing what she did.

  She reached forward and took a sip of wine. It was light and cool on her throat. “What's so amazing about it?”

  He smiled at her question. “It's unique. It's creative. You, yourself...”

  He lowered his eyes to the floor. Woah. Was he embarrassed? “You are naturally beautiful, so don't need any advice, I'm sure. But you give out advice anyway, and that's amazing.”

  Jenna laughed out loud, nearly spilling her wine. “You're kidding, right?”

  His eyes flicked back up. “About what?”

  “About me being naturally beautiful.”

  “You don't know it?”

  Jenna bit her lip. Feeling beautiful had never come easily to her. Sure, sometimes she felt pretty- but only after taking an hour to do her hair and make-up. When Fernando had come across her in a tank top and wet, matted hair she'd wanted to die.

  “It's not so easy for
a girl to feel confident in that way. It's a lot simpler for men.”

  His nod surprised her. “That's true.”

  “If you mean what you said, though,” She said slowly, “Thank you.”

  He looked right into her eyes, and heat collected in Jenna's heart in a flash before spreading through her every limb. Was being set on fire supposed to feel this delicious?

  She set her wine back down. She didn't need any more alcohol. All of the nervousness of the last ten minutes was quickly being transmuted into something else. It was something she didn't understand, but she knew it was something she wanted to be fully present for.

  Fernando pushed the door open, his pulse pounding in his ears. He'd never felt nervous before with a client- not even his first one. Then again, this wasn't a client. This was something different. Jenna was something different.

  And was it all right for him to be doing what he was about to do? She wanted it- he could tell. He could read the signs of arousal in a woman's body like a shopping mall's map. But would she regret it?

  And would he be able to control himself?

  He bit back a groan as she walked past him and entered the black and cream-colored bedroom. Her eyes roved across the space, first taking in the queen sized bed... then the whips resting in their holders on the walls... then the swing strung from the ceiling in the corner.

  Suddenly, Fernando regretted the whole thing. This was all probably scaring her. She seemed like such an innocent midwestern girl. Why did he have to be so stupid? If he were interested in a girl, then he should just do the normal thing- ask her out for coffee or to a movie.

  For him, though, asking a girl out was a hundred times more difficult than tying her to a bed with ropes and shoving a gag in her mouth. Putting himself out there physically was no problem whatsoever. But emotionally?

  Fernando wasn't sure he'd ever done that a day in his life. He wanted to. God, he wanted to. He'd like to take Jenna to a nice dinner and stare at her over a candlelit table while she told him anything and everything about her life.

  But then she'd know... Know what? That he had a heart?